The Laude Institute announced its inaugural batch of Slingshots grants on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 3:55 PM PST. This project aims to transform the artificial intelligence (AI) science and practice. Most importantly, it provides indispensable resources to the researchers who are working to solve the most pressing issues in this budding industry. Meet the first cohort. The first cohort includes 15 innovative projects, including a special emphasis on the complex challenge area of AI evaluation.
One of the most ambitious has been CodeClash, spearheaded by John Boda Yang, co-founder of SWE-Bench. This project is intended to address some of the most important elements to be considered in AI evaluation. For Yang, a bedrock principle is that repeated evaluation through independent testing is necessary to continue developing safe, beneficial AI technologies.
“I do think people continuing to evaluate on core third-party benchmarks drives progress,” – John Boda Yang
One other notable project in the first cohort is Formula Code, created by researchers from CalTech and UT Austin. This challenge measures the ability of AI agents to improve the performance of existing code. This is a super important task for improving overall software performance, no matter the application.
The BizBench project, hailing from Columbia, calls for a detailed benchmark for “white-collar AI agents.” Through this project, we hope to lay the groundwork for common evaluation metrics for AI systems in enterprise contexts, including what effectiveness and reliability should look like.
The Slingshots program accelerates researchers by providing them with the most necessary resources. These resources are often lacking in traditional academic environments. The support goes well beyond the money – it includes access to significant amounts of compute power and product engineering support. This collaborative effort will create the conditions for innovation and speed the development of beneficial AI technologies.
John Boda Yang similarly averted disaster by articulating his worries about where AI benchmarks are headed. He raised the alarm over the nefarious nature of proprietary evaluations.
“I’m a little bit worried about a future where benchmarks just become specific to companies,” – John Boda Yang
These Slingshots grants are not only significant for the Laude Institute, but they represent another milestone! They respond to the growing hunger for more robust evaluation approaches within AI research. Through extensive financial and developmental investment, the institute empowers researchers, focusing on building crucial mentor-mentee relationships. Through this initiative, we hope to spark advancements in AI that will increase productivity and address society’s biggest challenges.